New fires start as Utah braces for record high temperatures this weekend

OGDEN — A new fire started in Ogden early Saturday morning, hours before Utah would officially enter its first Extreme Heat Warning of the year.

According to Utah Fire Info, the Mountain Road fire, which started at approximately 12:49 a.m., closed the East Bench Trail from 1900 North in North Ogden south to 425 North in Ogden.

The fire was estimated at 18.1 acres on Saturday morning, though crews would remain in the area throughout the day to strengthen containment lines and extinguish any remaining hot spots.

The fire came shortly before large portions of Utah entered into the state’s first Extreme Heat Warning of the year, from noon Saturday until 6 a.m. Tuesday.

The National Weather Service issued warnings for multiple cities across Utah, including Snowville, Park Valley, Brigham City, Logan, Smithfield, Price, Bountiful, Duchesne, Roosevelt, Green River, Emery, Goblin Valley, Castle Dale, Nephi, Scipio, Huntsville, Salt Lake City, Sandy, West Jordan, Mt. Pleasant, Manti, Ephraim, Richfield, Salina, Park City, Grantsville, Wendover, Dugway, Vernon, Tooele, Lehi, Provo, Payson, Heber City, Ogden and Fillmore.

Highs of up to 107 degrees are possible this weekend across the Wasatch Front and Cache Valley, while highs of up to 100 are possible for the mountain valleys of northern and central Utah, including the Wasatch Back, along Castle Country, the Uinta Basin and the San Rafael Swell.

The National Weather Service encouraged those under an Extreme Heat Warning to drink plenty of fluids, stay in air-conditioned rooms, stay out of the sun and to check on relatives and neighbors.

“Do not leave young children and pets in unattended vehicles,” the agency warned. “Car interiors will reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes.”

The agency also encouraged people to wear lightweight and loose-fitting clothing when outside, and to limit strenuous activities to the early morning or evening, when temperatures begin to moderate. However, the agency said the low temperatures would likely stay in the mid to low 70s and “provide little in the way of overnight relief.”

New fires

Multiple additional fires began Saturday, adding more acreage to the state’s total area burned this year.

A grass fire started in southern Utah near State route 56 after a semi carrying 3,600 pounds of jet fuel rolled over near Modena, Iron County, according to the Utah Highway Patrol. The fire sent a plume of black smoke into the air and prompted the closure of State route 56 at 5600 West for several hours.

The driver was taken to the hospital for minor injuries but was up and walking around, the Utah Highway Patrol said. No other vehicles were involved, and no other structures were threatened by the fire.

Flames could also be seen at a large transfer station in Spanish Fork. The city requested that people avoid the area near 518 W. 3450 North to allow crews to battle the flames.

The Spanish Fork Fire Department said the fire was contained to the garbage inside the transfer station, with firefighters still battling the fire as of 4 p.m. on Saturday. No injuries were reported, and the Spanish Fork Fire Department said the cause of the fire was under investigation.

Ongoing fires

The Timp Fire, first reported at 11 a.m. Friday above Tibble Creek in American Fork Canyon was successfully contained by Saturday afternoon. The U.S. Forest Service announced that the Tibble Fork Reservoir, Timpooneke Campground, and Mutual Dell have been reopened.

The Timpooneke Road remains closed at Alpine Loop Junction to allow fire crews to continue their work. Officials stated that there is no fire threat associated with the road closure.

The Stookey Fire, which began early Friday evening east of Vernon, Tooele County, grew to 550 acres shortly after 5:20 p.m., according to Utah Fire Info.

No structures were threatened by the fire, but “extreme behavior in juniper trees” made it too dangerous for ground crews to join the fire line. While those crews strategized the best way to tackle the blaze, air crews continued to combat the fire.

The Wild Goose Fire near Holden, Millard County, remained at 12,665 acres in size, though containment increased to 98% Saturday morning. The fire, which was started by lightning, will be handed back to local teams at 7 p.m. Saturday, freeing up the Great Basin Incident Management Team 7 to prepare for the next fire.

The Babylon Fire, Utah’s largest fire so far this year, burned to an estimated 104,525 acres, with more than 1,400 personnel bringing the blaze to 44% containment Saturday morning.

The Cottonwood Fire near Beaver reached 70% containment, though more than a thousand personnel were still fighting the 97,278-acre fire on Saturday morning.

This story will be updated.